News

ShelterBox sends emergency shelter to Madagascar

ShelterBox is sending emergency shelter to Madagascar for families who have been made homeless by Cyclone Giovanna that struck on February 14.

A ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) has been working closely with the National Bureau of Risk and Disaster Management (BNGRC), the national disaster relief agency, to carry out a needs assessment in the most devastated areas of the island.

“The eastern town of Brickaville and the capital Antananarivo, as well as their surrounding villages, are the worse hit regions,” said UK-based SRT member David Webber. “Schools have been destroyed, homes flattened and the main hospital damaged.”

ShelterBox is sending midi tents from its headquarters in Cornwall, UK, as opposed to ShelterBoxes, as people have lost their homes from the high winds, but still have their personal belongings. The midi tents are ideal for responses like this, where temporary shelter is required for a shorter time while families rebuild their homes with dignity. Mosquito nets and hammers to help families put up the tents will arrive with the tents.

SchoolBoxes are also being sent to the damaged schools packed with activities for children, bringing them hope at the time when they need it the most.

Cyclone Giovanna caused most destruction on the eastern part of Madagascar, displacing almost 152,000 people. UK-based SRT member Stephen Branfield talks about the latest from the field here: